SCARS Institute’s Encyclopedia of Scams™ Published Continuously for 25 Years
RSN™ Guide: Scammer Crime Scene Investigation
Profile Forensics
Updated September 4, 2018
When You Connect With A Stranger, Look At Their Profile With A Critical Eye!
Of Course, You Should Not Be Talking To Strangers Online! But You Probably Ignored That Warning!
Look for the RED FLAGS
If you see any, walk away! Don’t try to explain it away. Just go!
Walk Through The Profile
- It is important that you look before and after accepting a friend request.
- You will be looking for “Out Of Place Artifacts” – odd things, inconsistencies, something inappropriate for this person.
- You will be looking for what is not there too!
Remember, scammers are sloppy and frequently reuse profiles.
Even if the profile is clean, absences and inconsistencies give them away.
- Name & Nickname
- Look At The Url (Web Address) For A Different Name – Hinting The Profile Was Renamed
- Profile Photos (Any Hint Of Other Names)
- How Many Photos – Real People Have Larger Numbers Of Photos
- Where Do They Work – Any Mention In Their Timeline?
- Schools / Studies
- Where They Live Now / Used To Live Places
- Relationships
- Contact Info
- Gender
- Family Relationships
- Details
- Verified Profile – if it is a public figure such as a General or Politician they will have a Blue Checkmark
- Friends List – who is in it?
- Their Followers
- Check-Ins – are there any from strange places or Africa?
- Music & Movies & Books – are they consistent with kind of person?
- Likes
- Timeline Posts – Type And Quantity, And Gaps In Time – look for large numbers of posts all at once
- Look At The Language Used – Is It Consistent For This Level Of Person / Nationality
- Look At The Language Setting – English (Uk) Or English (Us)
Finally, always do a name search to see if there are more profiles with the same name using the same face.
A real person will not immediately give you access to their world, but when you get in expect it to be well populated. A new profile is something to hide, even a real person may have something to hide, either way, it is a major RED FLAG.
WING-MAN
A word about wing-men or women
Always have a friend check out a new contact for you as well. Different people see different things and can be more skeptical about strangers. If you don’t have someone check them out, what are YOU trying to hide?
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Tell us about your experiences with Romance Scammers in our Scams Discussion Forum on Facebook »
FAQ: How Do You Properly Report Scammers?
It is essential that law enforcement knows about scams & scammers, even though there is nothing (in most cases) that they can do.
Always report scams involving money lost or where you received money to:
- Local Police – ask them to take an “informational” police report – say you need it for your insurance
- Your National Police or FBI (www.IC3.gov)
- The Scars Worldwide Reporting Network HERE or on www.Anyscam.com
This helps your government understand the problem, and allows law enforcement to add scammers on watch lists worldwide.
Visit our NEW Main SCARS™ News & Information Facebook page for much more information about scams and online crime: www.facebook.com/SCARS.News.And.Information
To learn more about SCARS visit www.AgainstScams.org
Please be sure to report all scammers HERE or on www.Anyscam.com
All original content is Copyright © 1991 – 2018 SCARS All Rights Reserved Worldwide & Webwide – RSN/Romance Scams Now & SCARS/Society of Citizens Against Romance Scams are all trademarks of Society of Citizens Against Romance Scams Inc.
#ReportingScammers #WhereToReportScams #Anyscam #SCARS #RSN #CatchScammers #ScammerWatchLists #ArrestScammers #REPORTSCAMMERS #ANYSCAM #AVOIDSCAMS #ROMANCESCAMS #ACTAGAINSTSCAMS #NIGERIANSCAMMERS #ROMANCESCAMSNOW #SCARS #GHANASCAMMERS #FAKEPROFILES #FACEBOOKSCAMMERS #BOYCOTTAFRICANCOFFEE
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Important Information for New Scam Victims
- Please visit www.ScamVictimsSupport.org – a SCARS Website for New Scam Victims & Sextortion Victims
- Enroll in FREE SCARS Scam Survivor’s School now at www.SCARSeducation.org
- Please visit www.ScamPsychology.org – to more fully understand the psychological concepts involved in scams and scam victim recovery
If you are looking for local trauma counselors please visit counseling.AgainstScams.org or join SCARS for our counseling/therapy benefit: membership.AgainstScams.org
If you need to speak with someone now, you can dial 988 or find phone numbers for crisis hotlines all around the world here: www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines
A Note About Labeling!
We often use the term ‘scam victim’ in our articles, but this is a convenience to help those searching for information in search engines like Google. It is just a convenience and has no deeper meaning. If you have come through such an experience, YOU are a Survivor! It was not your fault. You are not alone! Axios!
A Question of Trust
At the SCARS Institute, we invite you to do your own research on the topics we speak about and publish, Our team investigates the subject being discussed, especially when it comes to understanding the scam victims-survivors experience. You can do Google searches but in many cases, you will have to wade through scientific papers and studies. However, remember that biases and perspectives matter and influence the outcome. Regardless, we encourage you to explore these topics as thoroughly as you can for your own awareness.
Statement About Victim Blaming
Some of our articles discuss various aspects of victims. This is both about better understanding victims (the science of victimology) and their behaviors and psychology. This helps us to educate victims/survivors about why these crimes happened and to not blame themselves, better develop recovery programs, and to help victims avoid scams in the future. At times this may sound like blaming the victim, but it does not blame scam victims, we are simply explaining the hows and whys of the experience victims have.
These articles, about the Psychology of Scams or Victim Psychology – meaning that all humans have psychological or cognitive characteristics in common that can either be exploited or work against us – help us all to understand the unique challenges victims face before, during, and after scams, fraud, or cybercrimes. These sometimes talk about some of the vulnerabilities the scammers exploit. Victims rarely have control of them or are even aware of them, until something like a scam happens and then they can learn how their mind works and how to overcome these mechanisms.
Articles like these help victims and others understand these processes and how to help prevent them from being exploited again or to help them recover more easily by understanding their post-scam behaviors. Learn more about the Psychology of Scams at www.ScamPsychology.org
Psychology Disclaimer:
All articles about psychology and the human brain on this website are for information & education only
The information provided in this article is intended for educational and self-help purposes only and should not be construed as a substitute for professional therapy or counseling.
While any self-help techniques outlined herein may be beneficial for scam victims seeking to recover from their experience and move towards recovery, it is important to consult with a qualified mental health professional before initiating any course of action. Each individual’s experience and needs are unique, and what works for one person may not be suitable for another.
Additionally, any approach may not be appropriate for individuals with certain pre-existing mental health conditions or trauma histories. It is advisable to seek guidance from a licensed therapist or counselor who can provide personalized support, guidance, and treatment tailored to your specific needs.
If you are experiencing significant distress or emotional difficulties related to a scam or other traumatic event, please consult your doctor or mental health provider for appropriate care and support.
Also read our SCARS Institute Statement about Professional Care for Scam Victims – click here to go to our ScamsNOW.com website.
I got scammed, I am over it and have moved on. I wish you would get out of my face. Harry Overholt
Harry Overholt, you can unsubscribe if you don’t want to see our posts.
La persona que comenzó mi estafa usó el nombre de Bill Wimberly. Fue por facenook. Parecía real. Perdí como $56,000. Usó la foto del Gen. Mark Welsh a quien yo no conocía. Me envió una tarjeta de identificación que parecía real. Luego se comunicaba por whatsaap y su teléfono era 1-813-912-0242. Después de enterarme que era falso comenzó a escribirme una persona que decía que tenía mi dinero y le envié como $4,000 para los gastos de viaje y resultó falso también. Su num. de tel.+447438921303. Hay dos personas más involucradas tel. 234 902 639 5937 decía llamarse Dave Armstrong. Le envié 1,000 también para devolverme el dinero. Había un detective que también que fue el que me dijo que el estafador o sea Bill era una persona q ahora no recuerdo el nombre. Supuestamente estaba preso por estafar a otra persona por 267,000. A ese le envié como 4,000. y también resultó ser un estafador. Su email era Mattewmarcussapagmail.com.A Bill le envié varias transferencias al “Bank of America” a nombre de otas personas. Escribí al banco y nunca me contestaron. También le envié parte del dinero por Western Union. Me siento deprimida y con mucha ansiedad.
Cristina, tenemos un grupo de apoyo en Facebook que puede ayudarle: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=156557718232464&ref=br_rs
And I would add that there are domestic scammers as well. I know. If it goes to court I will testify. I will say that one of the big tip offs to the person not being a native born American is the use of sound similar words that are incongruous in the sentence such as been instead of being. This is an indication of a person in a country where English is the official language but where other native languages may be more commonly used. Ghana is an example of such a country.. There are other examples, but that should not be confused with an attempt at forming a slightly less literate sentence than the person would normally use. Scammers try to do that to hide a literacy level and intellect that allows many scammers to be effective hackers as well.